Fairy Tale
by The Crimson Wing
Summary: Summary: Fair prince Shikamaru meets foul mouthed Kankuro at the ball. KanShika, Fairy Tale AU


**AN**: Hey you people that watch me! Tis I, Crimson, she who wandered out of the fandom at top speeds! First of all, I'd like to inform you that I am WELL AWARE THAT THIS IS TOTALLY RUSHED. It's supposed to be. Ever notice how fairy tales are like that? Yes. So stop that complaint RIGHT NOW. Just sit back and enjoy. Or laugh, either way. Also- in the anime, Kankuro's eyes are brown, methinks. I've been writing them as green ever since I got my shirt and they were green. Shuttup and deal with it.

**Summary**: Fair prince Shikamaru meets foul mouthed Kankuro at the ball. [] KanShika, Fairy Tale AU []

**Warnings**: MalexMale, language, violence, rushed relationship, GROPING AND BOYS KISSING OH NO

**Pairings**: KankuroShikamaru. Mentioned LeeGaa and TemaTen.

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Naruto or any works by Shakespeare, this is just a story inspired by Disneyland and watching the second Naruto movie. =P

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Shikamaru Nara had never been an active Prince. His kingdom was faire, had no financial problems, no wars, no strife, so there was no real need for him to go and wage crusades. He'd make the obligatory monthly appearance on the cliche white horse, without waving or smiling (it seemed pointless and too much like wasted effort when a simple nod would suffice), please his fangirls, and then retreat to the castle grounds to laze about and watch the clouds.

He'd never cared much for women. His father, being the king of laziness himself, didn't push him to do more than was needed, ignoring the distressed advice of all of the close companions that he needed to wed soon. 'In due time' he'd say in a bored tone, watching his son leave the room, 'in due time'.

Unfortunately, 'in due time' didn't seem to be close enough for the advisors. While the king was away, they plotted and lurked, making up a chance for the prince to be more social, to meet eligible young women and create and heir for the line. After all, the king was all ready in his late thirties, that was practically ancient! Thus it was so; the ball was to be in a week.

"A ball." Shikamaru dropped the invitation with a sigh, tilting his head back to stare at the ceiling and grunting faintly as his seamstress pulled viciously on the corset portion of his clothes. All rich silks and over zealous things that he didn't want, naturally. "How troublesome."

All the way across the country, the same thought was running through the mind of a young commoner, a year senior of the prince. Kankuro Kazekage scowled at his sister, who flounced across the room in unabashed excitement. The last thing on his mind was a ball with a bunch of stuck up nobles, but she seemed totally elated at the idea.

Temari, Kankuro, and Gaara were all common children, born to a mother who was taken by illness and raised by a father who only sought power. Together they functioned through his strict regulations, but it had been a tough ordeal; Gaara had been shunned for most of his life and the other siblings had faired little better. Still, they managed and had, all in all, grown up to be decent people.

"Just IMAGINE," she sighed, spinning over to her drawers and opening them to peer at the colorful fabrics inside. "A real ball...with dancing...music...and the prince isn't too bad on the eyes either." She looked up at Kankuro with a smile, who rolled his eyes.

"I'm sure you'll have a blast," the brunette drawled, chucking the invitation on her bed and crossing his arms. "You'll have to tell me about it when it's over."

As he turned though, a shadow appeared in the doorway. Their father stood, arms crossed, frowning sternly, and Kankuro froze, staring at the imposing figure of the head of the Kazekage family.

"Kankuro, you must attend this ball." He prompted.

Kankuro's expression immediately twisted into one of defiance. "What? But Temari's going, it's really just for..."

He trailed off at the warning glare, resisting the urge to back up a step. Emerald green hues clashed on unfeeling black and Temari stopped fluttering about in the background, watching the pair with tightly reigned in anxiety. She couldn't step in and stop their father if Kankuro talked back, but she sure as hell wasn't going to let her brother walk into his death.

"It's a ball with young men, Kankuro," the father hissed dangerously. "Temari here will need a body guard. You're going. Gaara..." His lips pursed in distaste.

Gaara had been cast from the house after their father had found out about his 'tryst' with the young noble, Rock Lee and thus was no longer of any use to him. The head Kazekage found the red head's choice in lovers sorely disappointing; this Rock Lee, he said, was a disgusting disgrace to humanity, not to mention, and this was the worst of it, male. The youngest child, however, was still likely to attend the ball seeing as his fiancé was good friends with the prince.

"...should be there." He finished shortly, turning and leaving in a whirl of his brown cloak. "There's money in the satchel on the table. Go and purchase your dress attire wisely, and maybe Temari will catch someone worthy yet."

They waited until the front door shut before Kankuro let out a snarl of rage, slamming his fist into the wall so hard that the doorframe quivered and he left a crater of splintered wood. Temari frowned, moving across the room and gently pulling her younger sibling's arm down.

"You need your hands, Kankuro," she said delicately, though she seemed to be bristling inwardly as well. "The theater would be slain without you."

Kankuro let out a shaky breath and forced a smile to his older sister, nodding faintly. "Tch, I suppose so. They're totally incompetent without me, wouldn't do much good to have a cripple handed Romeo, hm?"

A week passed. All manner of excited young women went to ready themselves, buying new clothing and shoes, getting their hair done in the latest courtier fashions and using as much effort as humanly possible to get ready in hopes of catching their beloved prince's eye. Shikamaru wiled away the days watching clouds between clothes fittings and Kankuro worked in the theater for the big performance of Shakespeare's new play, Romeo and Juliette.

Then, the day of the ball came.

The night air was balmy, the sky filled with rows of thick, fluffy clouds. Carriages traversed along the road towards the castle, which was lit with strange glowing lights and illuminated the night's sky, nearly drowning out the few visible stars. Women in a multitude of colors flooded into the front doors with the flash of an invitation, some with dates on their arms, most without.

Kankuro and Temari reached the gates near nine o'clock, Temari scolding her brother the entire way about punctuality. It hadn't honestly been his fault; he'd been caught up in the theater, instructing students on how to apply make-up. He hadn't even had time to wash off the bright purple stripes of kabuki paint and the jade green garb he wore was far from the silk attire he'd purchased for the occasion. Then again, he hardly cared. It wasn't as if he was out for attention.

Because of this, he stuck out like a sore thumb amongst the flagrant silk clad people. He garnered more than a few strange glances because of his make-up, but he brushed them off, chin held up in pride.

And damned to anyone who muttered. He looked around the room and spotted what appeared to be a line to the throne. There was a good place to start, especially since he just wanted to get this over with. He took hold of Temari's arm and began to head up through the crowd of people.

At the throne, Shikamaru languished on the red silk, watching the women mill about. They'd already formed a line and were approaching him, bowing and shakily giving him their name. He'd nod and they'd squeal and leave, and the entire process seemed entirely drab. Monotonous. Beside him his closest friend, Chouji Akimichi, chuckled at the Prince's disdain.

"You look like you're being put through torture," the red head whispered, taking a bite from his sandwich and shaking his head.

"I am," the prince hissed back. "I've got to get out of here, Chouji."

"You know you can't do that. The only way the advisors will let you out of their sight is if you walk off with a young lady, and then..."

He didn't have to finish his sentence. Shikamaru moaned piteously, sliding down in the throne a bit further. "Then they'd never let me out of their sight and the advisors would expect me to marry them. Don't they understand I'm not interested in troublesome women?"

Suddenly, cries of indignation began to rise from the line. Shikamaru's attention was diverted, keen toffee hues watching as women were shoved aside until the perpetrator came into view. The prince was, to say the least, surprised.

Standing before him was a young man, about his age, with spiky, unkempt brunette locks, fierce green eyes and strange purple paint. He was well built, maybe an inch taller than Shikamaru himself, and didn't appear at all to have the sort of tact Shikamaru was forced to sit through on a daily basis. In fact, he was clothed in what normal nobles would have called rags. The prince called thought they looked nice enough. Comfortable. Much more comfortable then the restricting red coat and tight silken pants he was forced into.

Something in Shikamaru's chest fluttered and he sat up straight, feeling suddenly attentive. Well, as attentive as he ever got. The male that had dragged himself to the front cast a challenging look at the complaining women, who immediately silenced themselves, and tugged a pretty blond behind him.

"Oi!" He called brashly, looking up to the throne. "This is my sister, Temari Kazekage."

For some reason, Kankuro felt a little flip in his stomach on actually seeing the prince. He was lithely built, with keen eyes and hair that was pulled back in a spiky pony tail. For the same mysterious reason, he felt the urge to introduce himself.

"And I'm Kankuro," he added, still with a slight growl.

Chouji watched the prince's interaction with the brusque man with interest, arching a brow when Shikamaru actually stood up. He nearly dropped his sandwich when the prince walked down the two stairs to stand before the pair. Temari was in no better state, though she was much more composed, watching the pair of them with a carefully guarded expression.

"Come with me," Shikamaru said coolly. Several of the women gasped in scandal, shooting daggers at Temari.

It seemed only the blond herself realized he was speaking to her brother. Nevertheless, she followed after them, wary of the keen eyes of the old men surrounding the thrones.

Shikamaru kept Kankuro in his peripheral vision as he walked towards a massive opening. People parted in his wake, bowing, and he didn't bother to nod, his measured steps hastening somewhat as he neared freedom. Kankuro kept up easily. Temari trailed somewhat, and as the pair exited outside, she didn't follow, instead closing the massive double doors.

Kankuro stared, confused. Wasn't she coming? But then he looked at the prince and promptly forgot what he was thinking about. Weren't princes supposed to be stuck up, obnoxious? Didn't they have perfect posture and sneer and refer to you as 'commoner' all the time?

"Yo." Kankuro said cautiously, casually. A gauge of reaction.

Shikamaru smirked in response. "Hey."

Any defenses Kankuro had retained came tumbling down and he smirked a little, stepping closer to the prince. He nodded out at the grassy courtyard and Shikamaru took the hint without words, lacing his hands just below his spiky ponytail and starting out for the grass, away from the prying ears of the castle.

It turned out that this location wasn't much better. Light still glowed vibrantly from the castle, blocking out the sky, and the prince frowned upwards as his beloved clouds were turned an ugly mottled yellow from the artificial light.

"Troublesome light," Shikamaru sighed, glancing over to Kankuro. "It blocks out all the good clouds."

Kankuro cocked his head to the side, looking at the prince that was so unprincely. "You want clouds?" He asked, a mischievous smile tugging on his lips. Shikamaru nodded and the smile turned into a broad grin. "I'll give you one hell of a view."

A warm, work calloused hand suddenly enclosed itself over Shikamaru's and they went racing across the courtyard, vaulting over a low fence into the trees beyond. The prince's heart leaped in his throat and he found he didn't mind the exertion of following after the other male, didn't mind the hand grasping his own or the almost uncomfortable ratta tat tat of his heart against his ribcage. He'd rarely been in the forest; every time he tried the advisers would come looking for him. But now they thought he was involved with a troublesome woman. He had time.

And he was with this strange man. Kankuro. He was with Kankuro.

Soon enough they were barreling through a bush and into a clearing, both panting a little from the run. The view made Shikamaru's breath hitch and he found himself gazing up at the cloudy sky, hints of stars peaking through in places, a soft canopy enveloping a large part of the area save for a circle in the center where a halo of light fell upon a rock.

His hand tightened on Kankuro's. The actor smiled a little at the Prince, then saw the state of the red silks and grinned broadly.

"You look like a guy." He prompted. Shikamaru didn't take offense, though he nearly did, and Kankuro pinned on, "I mean, you looked like a guy before, but now you look...Hell, you look human instead of like a doll."

Any minute offense was short lived.

They made their way over to the rock, a broad flat bit of slate, and lay together on it. Neither deigned letting go of the other as important, and for a long while they sat in comfortable silence. It was like they'd had this moment a million times before, thousands of times over.

When they talked, it was natural.

"Who are you?" Kankuro finally asked blandly. Both were staring skyward, their interlaced hands resting between them, and he rolled onto his side to peer at the richly clothed prince.

"Shikamaru Nara, Prince of this land," Shikamaru responded dryly, but Kankuro shook his head.

"No. WHO are you."

Somehow, it made sense. Shikamaru sat in silence for a moment, collecting his thoughts before he responded. "I'm Shikamaru, best friend of Chouji and the laziest bastard alive. I like clouds, and relaxing things." Pause. "And I intensely dislike most women."

Kankuro snorted, and it sounded vaguely like 'go figure'. The questioning arch of the other male's brow, however, was enough of a signal for him to talk, and he did so with an almost bored expression.

"I'm Kankuro, middle child of three to a nearly abusive, homophobic father. I'm an actor, the younger brother to Temari, older brother to Gaara, who's currently involved with your friend Lee by the way." Shikamaru nodded his approval and the older male went on. "I enjoy painting, hanging out..." Sharp emerald hues caught on toffee and he smirked, an expression that Shikamaru found did dangerous things to his stomach. "And I'm intensely interested in you."

Shikamaru couldn't have blushed any harder if he'd tried. "Kankuro..." He said quietly.

The actor took his cue and leaned over, catching the Prince's mouth with his own. It made purple smear across the younger male's lips, but he didn't seem to care any as he reached up and fisted his hand in dark brown hair. As a matter of fact, he really liked the feeling of the paint slick lips.

The broad form rolled over and Kankuro caught himself on his arms, still engaged with the prince. One broad, work worn hand trailed over the red clad side and goose flesh sprang up in the wake of his touch, causing Shikamaru to groan faintly, a noise that was rewarded with a flourish of the actor's tongue.

"Kankuro..." The prince hissed faintly as lips tore away from his own, leaving them entirely purple (he couldn't have cared any less) and began to trail down his throat. What was happening? His heart was hammering insanely in his chest, but not from arousal, but anything else only happened in troublesome fairy tales. But his mind was blurring as to why this was such a bad idea, especially when a stray hand reached down between them and palmed over his groin, instantly lighting him on fire. "Shit..."

Suddenly, there was a crashing and none other than Rock Lee came bursting through the trees. He didn't appear fazed in the slightest by the compromising situation he'd found his prince in, instead letting his gaze snap to Kankuro, who was floundering between angry and horribly embarrassed.

"Kazekage-sama, excuse me!" He said seriously. "Your..." his lips pursed. "Highly esteemed...father has shown up at the castle and demands your presence."

Any anger evaporated at once and Kankuro sprang up. "He WHAT?" The actor hissed with dread and alarm. The green clad male grimaced faintly, inclining his head. "Shit. All right, take me to them."

He cast a lingering glance to Shikamaru, an apology, but the prince found no anger, only a rising panic. Kankuro was leaving. Kankuro was leaving, he was a commoner, what if they never saw each other again?

"My sister needs me," was all the actor said before he and Lee were racing off through the trees, leaving a dazed Shikamaru utterly alone.

What had he just done? Shikamaru reached up to his face, the energy he'd gained from the other's presence seeming to evaporate under a sudden pressure on his chest. Was he really so desperate to go and make out with some stranger?

Only...no, he wasn't desperate. He himself had just wanted to escape. Shikamaru sat up, looking down at the sad state of his clothes with a brief smile before standing and starting back for the castle. He'd attracted the attentions of fine looking men ( and too many women to count ) before. This was...different. Somehow. He reached up to his lips as an afterthought, rubbing at them with his sleeve and snorting as they came away bright purple.

When he arrived at the castle, all of the crowd was in silent shock and there were bloodstains on the white tile. Small, nearly imperceptible drops, but blood nonetheless. The ease he'd managed to compose into shattered at once and he looked around, spotting Chouji only when the other noble hurried anxiously over to him.

"What happened?" Shikamaru said sharply, reaching out to grasp at his friend's broad shoulders.

"Kankuro and his father got into a fight," Chouji whispered, glancing around them nervously. "Kazekage-sama screamed at him, called him a no good fag just like his brother and dragged him out. The blood's from...From..."

"From?" Shikamaru pressed tensely.

"From his sister. She got in the way and their father snapped and hit her. But Shikamaru...that's not the problem."

It was then that Shikamaru noticed every eye in the hall was on him. He looked up, studying them all carefully. Women were looking repulsed and sad at the same time, the men seemed wary. It didn't take a genius to figure out what had conspired ( and it just so happened that he was a genius ). The prince smirked.

"So the cat's out of the bag, huh? Tch, how troublesome." He stood straight and walked over to the throne seats, falling onto it with a languid grace and staring at them. "So you all know I'm gay."

As if hearing him say it were the final straw, a unanimous hiss ran through the room and people began to immediately head for the doors. It was a sudden change, the air more chilly than it had been before, the older women murmuring with scorn, the younger with sadness that their catch did indeed fancy the same gender. One minute the room was packed and the next, only he, Chouji, and a single blond haired woman remained.

She stared up at him. There were black stripes on her face ( stripes that reminded him of Kankuro, he thought absently ) and her eyes were brilliant, intuitive green. He sighed loudly.

"It's really true," the prince said dryly. But she didn't seem crestfallen at all. In fact, she smiled.

"I know." He blanched a little, gaze snapping back to her. "I just wanted to tell you congratulations. I'm glad you found out before you got married. Kankuro's a good guy you know."

It felt like he'd been slapped. Shikamaru's eyes widened and he gaped at the small, almost insignificant woman standing at the base of the steps. Her grin turned sly before he could ask how she'd known about the purple painted fellow.

"There's purple on your lips, Prince. Kabuki paint was designed to withstand sweat, a little rub of silk isn't going to get it all off. I should know, I helped him put it on. Best of luck."

She started for the doors at a rapid pace, carrying a bundle of what he realized were 'common' clothes beneath her arm. "Wait!" He shouted and the woman paused, cocking a look back over her shoulder. "What do you know about Kankuro?"

The woman smirked. "Find out for yourself, Lordship. There's a play tomorrow, eight o'clock. He'll be there. If this is really how it's meant to be..." She waved her hand and bolted for the door as guards began pouring into the room. "You'll know him!"

Two guards went out the hallway after her. Seconds later there was a thunderous CRASH and they went flying back into the ballroom, dents in their thickly plated torsos. The other guards ran up to the throne and knelt.

He hadn't called them. Which could only mean...

"Are you all right you lazy brat?"

Asuma, his father's most loyal advisor and also his friend, slid into the throne beside Shikamaru, a cigarette dangling from his lips, helmet tucked under his arm. The prince relaxed a little, sneering and leaning on one palm.

"Fine, no thanks to you."

The advisor hummed, leaning his head back and letting out a ring of smoke. "That's quite a commotion you caused there. No doubt women will be crying for weeks."

Shikamaru had all ready tuned out, however, thinking about the play the next day. "Whatever..."

Meanwhile, Kankuro's trip back home was far from pleasant. The acidic looks his father was giving him were more than enough to irritate him, not to mention he felt guilty for Temari getting hurt. She seemed fine enough, sporting only a swelled lip, and in fact seemed to be at peace with the world, which was unnerving in any case. He sank low in his bench seat, almost moodily, and wondered about the prince.

Maybe he was promiscuous. He didn't really want KANKURO, a brash commoner, just someone who was stupid enough to fall for the cool act. No doubt about it. The actor sighed quietly, closing his eyes and listening to the thump of carriage wheels on stone. At least Gaara had gotten out of trouble's way.

The next day, Kankuro forgot entirely about bothersome princes, violent fathers and meddling sisters. He forgot about struggling to pay for gambling debts that weren't his, forgot about silk robes, forgot about everything but the theater. He fell into the part of Romeo like jell-o to mold, becoming the part of the woe-begone man, doomed to fall in love with the girl he couldn't have.

Maybe it was because the part felt so familiar to him. But he didn't dwell on it.

They practiced throughout the day, did a smaller rehearsal for the families, and went to dress for their parts. Kankuro's excitement was nearly brimming over...this was it...it was time...

Shikamaru, however, was feeling dread like he hadn't in a long time.

Staring out at the sea of people, he found that the idea of shoving his way amongst them was far too troublesome, so he stood, hovering near the back. They were late to the performance and it had all ready reached well into the second or third act. So far, he hadn't seen Kankuro.

What if he was up there and Shikamaru just couldn't recognize him? Was this all a mistake? What was he doing chasing after some man he barely knew?

But as he considered turning to leave, he heard a voice he couldn't forget. The tone was softer, less brash, and the hair was lightened with a substance he couldn't define, but there was no forgetting the broad frame, nor the burning emerald orbs. The motions were less sure of himself, more calm and serene.

"He jests at scars that never felt a wound."

Those emerald orbs skimmed outwards and Kankuro, for the briefest, most terrible of moments, felt himself freeze as his gaze landed on Shikamaru, standing near the back, watching him. He was here. Why was he here? Did he come to see me? But his acting skills kicked in not a millisecond later and he took his cue as 'Juliet' took to the balcony.

"But soft, what light through yonder window breaks! Tis the east, and Juliet is the sun."

Shikamaru felt his stomach twist and somehow knew that line, that smile, was just for him.

The performance passed and the entire audience wept at the tragic fate of the star crossed lovers. People hurried on stage to congratulate the cast but Shikamaru didn't move. He had no idea what to do, torn between running out and barreling backstage.

It turned out he didn't have to make a decision as Kankuro appeared seconds later, still clad in the soft blue silk he'd 'died' in. His brisk walk slowed with a sort of uncertainty when he saw Shikamaru, and had the circumstances been different the Prince would have snorted at how juvenile the entire ordeal felt.

"Yo..." Kankuro called as he approached. He stood close, free of make-up, and looked at Shikamaru with a handsome face filled with honesty.

"Hey." Shikamaru said, somewhat breathlessly.

Kankuro kissed him.

Three days later, Shikamaru's father came home. Three and a half days later, the advisors who demanded Shikamaru be booted from being heir to the throne for his sexuality, a good five or six of them, were thrown out of the castle. Physically. By Shikaku. Who was absolutely furious by the way, and that took effort so Shikamaru was quite impressed. One month later and Kankuro was moving into the castle (with Temari, who had met a lovely girl named TenTen). Three months later and Kankuro and Shikamaru were married. They'd decided to figure out the need for an 'heir' bit later.

And Shikamaru learned to believe just a little bit in fairy tales.

**-owari-**

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Ahahaha. There really isn't enough for my pairing, so, despite the fact that I hate Naruto now, I thought I'd contribute. The characters are still lovely, after all.

If you have any gripes with the storyline, keep in mine this is a 'fairy tale' AU. And read the AN.

Reviews appreciated, guys!

_-Crimson is OUT_


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